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Alabama Gardening

We Got A Frost ! End of Growing Season.

14 years ago

We've had two earlier mornings when there was a light frost on some roof tops but we got a frost on the ground last night. The tender plants are showing the results of the frost. I have a small banana tree (18 inches) whose leaves are history. Until last night I still had blooming angel trumpets and impatiens. A "bird bath" planter near the driveway entrance has dead and blooming impatiens. The ones nearest the brick wall are still blooming. The plants on the outside are dead. I left the south door to the greenhouse open last night and a zebrina banana tree next to the door has a little damage but everything else is good. Well, I guess this is officially the end of the 2009 growing season. I'm not looking forward to greenhouse watering and heating but I do look forward to next tear. SPRING is only 142 days away.

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Comments (6)

tedevore
14 years ago
Its always intersting to me the difference in frost dates, depending on if you live in a valley or what not around here. My friends who live along the little cahaba near Leeds have had a good frosts more than two weeks now. In Hoover I still have a an angel trumpet (came from you Terry) blooming also, and today I still don't see any frost evidence.
I did move stuff into the garage though, 'cause coming soon!
daffodillady
14 years ago
I was out of state this last week. Walked the yard today, checking everything out. Most plants have at least some frost damage. The hedychiums, cannas and some of the daylilies are ready to be cut back. It's hard to see them go, but after a winter's nap, it should be a good season as most of my plants have been in their pot homes for a year or more.
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Your garden looks great, keep us posted on how everything does. I am especially interested in how the S. palmetto seedlings do unprotected in your location. Speaking of the growing season, It looks like it came to a decisive close last night over most of north Florida. The low this morning in Tallahassee was 23F, ouch, thought it was a tad early for lower 20s, even in the interior panhandle. This obviously nuked the annuals and seasonal tropicals. Does this also fry the leaves off the deciduous trees which are not yet bare? Saw this happen to some of the trees in Atlanta years back after an early November night into the upper teens. The low this morning at the Orlando Executive Arpt., on the other hand, was 51F.
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madabouteu
14 years ago
In Gadsden, I lost the zinnias and the tithonias. The pineapple sage is still in bloom, and the lantanas are also blooming but the leaves show some damage. Surprisingly, the tropical milkweed seems undamaged. The pansies went in this afternoon.
idig
14 years ago
I still have impatiens blooming too, and even a nice white vinca that is out in the wide open!
tsmith2579
Original Author
14 years ago
Shana, my vinca, and impatiens bit-the-dust in last night's 25* temps. I had a couple of buckets with rain water in them and they had a lot of ice in them. I used the greenhouse heater for the first time on Friday and Saturday night.
idig
14 years ago
The snow finally got my last bit of impatiens who were protected in a little nook in a retaining wall.

The snow got everything, actually. I need to get out there and cut back and clean up in a bad way. I hope it stops raining!

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